Kobe Bryant cannot remember a day in his life that wasn’t punctuated by the sound of a bouncing basketball. A hoops junkie who prophesied his own stardom in toddlerhood, Kobe is the reason fans stopped raising an eyebrow when high-school stars skipped college and went directly to the pros. The first teenage guard to successfully translate his skills to the NBA, he pocketed three championship rings by his 24th birthday and continued to evolve into one of the best all-around players in the history of the game, ultimately winning his fourth and fifth. This is his story…

GROWING
UP

Kobe Bryant was born
on August 23, 1978 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Click
here for today's sports birthdays.) His parents, Joe
and Pam, already had two girls, Sharia and Shaya. Kobe was their third
and final child. Life in the Bryant family was not your normal everyday
existence. Joe, a playground hoops legend from Philly’s John Bartram
High School, was in the midst of a scattershot pro basketball career that
took him to three different countries.

Jellybean Joe,
a 6-9 forward with the skills of a point guard, never really found his
place in the NBA. After three stellar years at La Salle University, he
was drafted in 1975 by Golden State. When the Warriors refused his contract
demands, he was dealt to Philadelphia. From there, Joe bounced from one
team to another, appearing in a total of 606 games for the 76ers, San
Diego Clippers and Houston Rockets and averaging 8.7 points along the
way. He also played professionally in Europe. Some say Joe Bryant refused
to go with the flow. Others insist he was a man ahead of his time.

Pam was by Joe’s
side for every stop of his career. He had had his eye on her since childhood.
Their grandparents lived on the same block in Philadelphia, and they often
crossed paths during the 1960s. The pair rekindled their relationship
in college in the early 1970s and got married soon after.

Kobe grew up eating,
sleeping and breathing basketball. A year after his son was born, Joe
was traded to San Diego. The Bryants loved being in sunny Southern California.
Their neighbors were friendly, and rain rarely forced the kids inside.
Kobe developed an intense love of hoops on the West Coast. By his third
birthday, he was already telling people be would be an NBA star.

In the summer of 1982,
the Bryants packed their bags for Houston, after Joe was dealt to the
Rockets. Kobe, who was gaining a better understanding of what his dad
did for a living, started following the NBA seriously. His favorite player
was Magic Johnson, a point guard in a power forward’s body—not
unlike Kobe’s dad. The youngster responded to Magic’s flashy
style and winning ways, and adopted the Lakers as his favorite pro team.

Joe’s stay in
Houston lasted only one season. When the Rockets didn’t renew his
contract, he signed with a team in Rieti, Italy. The Bryant family’s
basketball odyssey continued. For Kobe and his sisters, the move proved
to be a meaningful bonding experience. Stuck in a foreign country and
unable to speak the language, they relied on each other to get by. Every
day after school they practiced new Italian words and phrases together.
Within a couple of months, all three were fairly fluent in Italian.

Joe, meanwhile, finally
hit his stride in the pro ranks. Encouraged to use all the talents and
instincts he developed on the streets of Philadelphia, he blossomed into
a star. Joe regularly poured in 30 to 40 points a game. He made a very
good salary, and his family was treated well by the people in their town.
What many NBA fans thought of as basketball hell was its own slice of
basketball heaven for the Bryants.

Kobe’s world
revolved around his father’s basketball schedule. He often accompanied
Joe to afternoon practice and rarely missed a game. Kobe studied his dad’s
moves, then tried to mimic the way he played. At halftime of games, Kobe
sometimes entertained fans by shooting baskets.

On Joe’s days
off, if the family wasn’t on a sightseeing adventure, they would
spend time with the families of other American players. Among them was
Harvey Catchings, whose daughters, Tauja and Tamika, would go on to stardom
in college and the WNBA.

This lifestyle—particularly
seeing his father thrill crowds with thunderous dunks and no-look passes—further
inspired Kobe to dream of a career in the NBA. The soccer-crazed Italians,
however, pushed Kobe in another direction. They told him more than once
that with his long arms, quickness, and leaping ability, he would make
a world-class goalkeeper.

Kobe kept tabs on
the NBA thanks to his grandparents. In the days before international cable
sports feeds, they recorded games and sent the tapes to Italy on a weekly
basis. Father and son watched these videos together, as well as those
Joe received from scouting services in the U.S. With Joe imparting his
expertise, Kobe learned to see the whole court and read how the action
unfolded during a game.

Kobe got a chance
to hone his skills each summer, when the Bryants flew back to visit family
and friends in Philadelphia. From the age of 10, he competed in the city’s
high-powered Sonny Hill League and held his own against boys his age and
older. His father and Pam’s brother, John, counseled him on areas
of his game that needed improving.

ON
THE RISE

The Bryants spent
the 1991-92 European season in France after Joe latched on with a new
team. The move was hardest on Kobe and his sisters, who endured a two-hour
roundtrip commute to an international school in Switzerland. Joe retired
after the campaign ended, and he and Pam decided it was time for a permanent
return to the U.S. Shaya and Sharia were thinking about college, and Kobe
was ready to begin high school.

After Joe accepted
an assistant coaching job at La Salle, the Bryants bought a house in Ardmore,
a well-to-do Main Line suburb about 10 miles outside of Philadelphia.
Kobe viewed the change in scenery with mixed feelings. Connecting with
American kids was difficult for him, and he worried about fitting in socially.

Joe Bryant, 1981-82 Topps

On
the court, Kobe’s transition was seamless. He was one of the Sonny
Hill League’s top players during the summer of 1992. He then entered
Lower Merion High School and made the varsity basketball team for the
Aces. The following spring he began going to the gym at Temple University
looking for pick-up games. Among those who befriended him was Eddie Jones,
one of the Owls’ starting guards.

Life outside of hoops
wasn’t quite as easy. A solid B student, Kobe struggled to find
common ground with his classmates. In Europe he had been sheltered from
many of the temptations and pressures faced by teenagers in the U.S. Naturally
quiet and reserved, he got a crash-course in dealing with the daily dramas
of high school hallways.

By his junior year,
Kobe finally felt comfortable in his surroundings. He also began to make
major strides in his hoops career. At 6-5, he decided his basketball future
was probably in the backcourt and began to think and practice like a guard.
This was fine by Lower Merion coach Gregg Downer, who liked the mismatches
Kobe presented to opponents. In truth, between the expert advice the youngster
received from his father and the competition he faced each year in Philadelphia’s
top summer leagues, he would have been a handful for just about any high-school
defender.

Kobe sizzled during
the 1994-95 season. The junior averaged 31.1 points, 10.4 rebounds and
5.2 assists and was named Pennsylvania Player of the Year. Kobe also unveiled
his devastating cross-over dribble during the campaign. He learned the
move from God Shammgod, a teammate on his summer AAU squad.

After Kobe’s
breakout year, college recruiters from across the country came knocking.
The soon-to-be senior boasted excellent grades and SAT scores, so academics
would not be an obstacle. At the top of his list were Duke, North Carolina,
Villanova and Michigan.

But when Chicago schoolboy
Kevin Garnett went in the first round of the NBA Draft in June of 1995,
Kobe began seriously considering moving directly to the pros. That summer,
Joe arranged for his son to work out with members of the 76ers, and Kobe
was awesome. He also made a big impression on scouts at the ABCD All-America
Camp at Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey.

As a senior, Kobe’s
sparkling play put Lower Merion on the high-school basketball map. The
Aces posted a 32-3 record and captured their first state title in 42 years.
The school’s name was in the newspapers constantly, college coaches
filled the stands for every game, and coach Downer received invitations
to several prestigious tournaments. Kobe finished the year with a scoring
average of 30.8 points, pushing his four-year points total to 2,883, which
shattered the Pennsylvania schoolboy record set four decades earlier by
Wilt Chamberlain.

The
recruiting craziness accelerated after the season ended. When an Italian
League team approached Joe about becoming its coach, management insisted
that his son be part of the deal. Meanwhile, along with several other
top high school seniors—including Tim Thomas of New Jersey, Lester
Earl of Louisiana, and Jermaine O’Neal of South Carolina—Kobe
was thinking about following Garnett’s path to the NBA.

With rumors that Kobe
would bypass college becoming more prevalent, he did nothing to squelch
them. As various experts rendered their opinions on his pro prospects,
a consensus was building that Kobe was indeed NBA material. The 17-year-old
added fuel to the fire when he wowed the scouts at the 1996 Beach Ball
Classic in South Carolina.

Kobe ended the speculation
that spring at a press conference in the Lower Merion gym. Before dozens
of reporters and camera crews—and with friends from the group Boyz
II Men nearby—he announced that he had decided to take his
talents to the NBA. A short time later he signed on with the William Morris
Agency, then inked multi-year endorsement deals with Adidas and Sprite.

The news was greeted
with mixed reviews. Some sportswriters compared Kobe to Grant Hill and
Anfernee Hardaway at the same age, only with better offensive skills.
They believed the teenager was ready. Others criticized Joe and Pam for
pushing their son into a bad decision. Kobe bristled at the suggestion
that his parents didn’t have his best interests at heart.

Debate began almost
immediately about whether Kobe would be a lottery pick, as Garnett had
been the previous June. The top four selections in the draft would likely
be Marcus Camby, Allen Iverson, Stephon Marbury, and Ray Allen. From there,
the college talent thinned quickly.

The Los Angeles Lakers
and their president, Jerry West, were among the teams convinced that Kobe
was destined for greatness. In a private workout for the club, the teenager
impressed with his leaping ability and wide array of offensive skills.
The Lakers asked Kobe to play one-on-one against Dontae’ Jones,
and he blew the Mississippi State star off the court.

Los Angeles also felt
Kobe’s upbringing was an advantage. As the son of an NBA player,
he would be able to assimilate into the league better than other rookies.

On draft day, West
worked his magic. First he tabbed Derek Fisher, a defensive-minded point
guard out of Arkansas-Little Rock, with the 24th pick in the first round.
Then he put a call into the Charlotte Hornets, who had grabbed Kobe at
#13, and after a little haggling arranged a trade for Vlade Divac. The
move created extra salary space, which Los Angeles used to sign Orlando
free agent Shaquille O’Neal. Just like that, the building blocks
of a new dynasty were in place.

Kobe was ecstatic
to join the Lakers. Not only was he starting his pro career with his favorite
team, but he would not be expected to be its savior. In addition to Shaq,
Los Angeles had exceptional talent, including Nick Van Exel, Elden Campbell,
and Kobe’s old pal, Eddie Jones. An added bonus was coach Del Harris,
who had been the head man in Houston for Joe Bryant’s one season
there.

Kevin Garnett, 1995 Sports
Illustrated

Kobe
signed a three-year, $3.5 million contract with the Lakers, then averaged
25 points per game for their summer-league team. He bought a home in Pacific
Palisades, Joe quit his job at La Salle, and the family moved out to California
with him.

During a Labor Day
pickup game at Venice Beach, Kobe fractured his left wrist. Though the
injury wasn’t serious, it forced him to sit out five weeks and miss
much of training camp. Going into the 1996-97 season, Harris and the Lakers
decided to bring their 18-year-old rookie along slowly.

Somewhat fittingly,
Kobe made his official NBA debut against Garnett and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
In six minutes, he bricked his only shot and committed a turnover. Sparse
playing time was the norm for Kobe throughout the first half of the season.
With Los Angeles vying for the Pacific Division crown, there was no need
to throw him into the fire.

In January, a thinning
roster forced Harris’s hand. At 18 years, five months and five days,
Kobe became the youngest starter in NBA history. Weeks later, during All-Star
Weekend, he set a record with 31 points in the Rookie Game and won the
Slam Dunk Contest—the first Laker ever to do so.

Those were the highlights
of the season for him. Injuries to O’Neal and other key players
decimated Los Angeles, and the club was steamrolled by the Utah Jazz in
the second round of the playoffs. Kobe, who saw only spot action in March
and April, ended the year contributing just under eight points a night.

Prior to the 1997-98
season, West and Harris agreed to install Kobe as the team’s sixth
man. An observant and well-educated player, he took to the role immediately.
Playing between 20 and 30 minutes a game, Kobe boosted his scoring average
to nearly 18 points per game. He was just the spark the Lakers needed,
as they reeled off 11 straight victories to start the year. Even when
O’Neal went down with an injury, Los Angeles flourished. Van Exel,
Jones and Campbell all were contributing, as were supporting players Robert
Horry, Rick Fox and Fisher.

With the Lakers battling
the Seattle Supersonics for first in the Pacific Division, fans voted
Kobe into the starting lineup for the 1998 All-Star Game. The NBA, in
turn, advertised the contest as a battle between Michael Jordan and the
heir apparent to his throne. Kobe, the youngest All-Star in league history,
didn’t handle the situation well. He drew the ire of teammates by
hogging the ball and dissing teammate Karl Malone. West coach George Karl
sat him for the final period.

Kobe’s All-Star
performance highlighted a growing problem with his game—he wasn’t
sharing the ball. Even Jordan talked with the 19-year-old about this shortcoming.
No one doubted that Kobe would one day be a star, but he wasn’t
there yet. When the situation did not improve to Harris’s liking,
he scaled back Kobe’s minutes. Slowly the message sank in, and by
playoff time he was working within the team structure and making meaningful
contributions on the defensive end.

Los Angeles opened
the postseason with an impressive series win over the Portland Trail Blazers.
Next up were the Sonics. After dropping Game 1, the Lakers took the next
four in a row. Kobe’s role was limited thanks to a bout with the
flu. Though he returned to full health for the Western Conference Final
against Utah, Los Angeles was completely outclassed by the more poised
and experienced Jazz.

The NBA lockout turned
the 1998 off-season into a frustrating waiting game. Kobe decided to invest
some of that time cutting a hip-hop CD, which was never released. However,
he did meet Vanessa Laine, a teenage dancer appearing in a music video
being filmed in the same building. They would eventually wed in the spring
of 2001, very much against his parents’ wishes. They believed he
was too young to be married. This led to a brief estrangement from his
family, who did not attend the wedding.

When the labor problems
of '98 were finally settled, the resulting 50-game campaign put the championship
up for grabs. Los Angeles responded with three major moves. The Lakers
signed Dennis Rodman, replaced Harris with assistant coach Kurt Rambis,
and in March dealt Jones and Campbell to Charlotte for Glen Rice, J.R.
Reid and B.J. Armstrong.

Kobe, meanwhile, nailed
down a spot in the starting lineup. He flourished at both ends of the
court, earning Third Team All-NBA honors. Kobe began to add depth to his
game, leading the Lakers in steals and ranking second on the team in scoring
with a 19.9 average. In all, he logged nine double-doubles and proved
increasingly dangerous in crunch time. Though his jumper lacked consistency,
the Lakers were going to Kobe more and more in key situations—and
he was delivering.

After going 31-19
in the regular season, Los Angeles felt it was ready to go all the way.
Rodman gave the club a veteran presence, and Rice’s outside game
created more space on the floor for Kobe and Shaq inside. But all was
not right in Lakerland. Rumors surfaced that O’Neal was jealous
of Kobe. In a team meeting, the club tried to smooth over the rift, but
bad feelings lingered.

The off-court controversy
didn’t faze Los Angeles in the first round against the Rockets,
and the club advanced with a four-game series victory. Then the Lakers
ran into the red-hot Spurs. After dropping the first contest, Los Angeles
battled back and seemed in control of Game 2. But with 19 seconds left,
Kobe missed a pair of foul shots that would have given the Lakers a three-point
lead. San Antonio ended up winning by three and seized the series momentum.
When the series moved to LA, the Lakers let Game 3 slip away late. The
next day they succumbed to San Antonio in an embarrassing four-game sweep.

Kobe Bryant, 1996-97 Fleer
Metal

A
big change was clearly called for, and it came at the top. The Lakers’
new coach was Phil Jackson, who brought Tex Winters and the Triangle Offense
along with him. Jerry West knew he had to find a way to make Kobe and
Shaq see eye to eye. Jackson’s unorthodox approach had worked wonders
with Jordan and Scottie Pippen in Chicago. Now he would get to play Svengali
to two new superstars.

MAKING
HIS MARK

Kobe was excited by
the opportunity to play for a proven winner like Jackson and spent much
of the off-season improving his quickness and footwork on defense. From
the get-go in the 1999-2000 season, Kobe and Shaq looked different on
the court together. In Jackson’s system, the ball moved more freely
and there was less standing around. With the addition of veteran Ron Harper,
Los Angeles had all the ingredients for a championship.

The club won 25 of
its first 30 to start the campaign and registered three separate winning
streaks of at least 10 games during the year. The Lakers rolled to the
NBA’s best record (67-15) and homecourt advantage (which they now
enjoyed at the new Staples Center in downtown LA) throughout the playoffs.
O’Neal, healthy and happy, was the runaway choice as the league
MVP.

Kobe, meanwhile, enjoyed
his best season as a pro. After missing the first 15 games with a broken
bone in his right hand, he blended in perfectly with his teammates and
blossomed into a complete player. His shot selection was better, his rebounding
and scoring increased, and he began hitting more regularly from the outside.
Most notable, however, was his sterling defense. In a February victory
over the 76ers, Kobe shut down Allen Iverson, holding him to 0-of-9 shooting
in the fourth quarter. It was this kind of effort that earned him a spot
on the NBA’s All-Defensive First Team.

In the playoffs, the
Lakers got all they could handle from the Sacramento Kings in the first
round, but squeaked by in five games. Next they manhandled the smaller
and less physical Phoenix Suns. In the Western Conference Finals, Los
Angeles split the first six games with Portland. Then, down 13 points
in the fourth quarter of Game 7, the Lakers stormed back for a miraculous
win over the Blazers. They would face Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers
in the NBA Finals.

Though Indiana battled
hard, Los Angeles won the series in six games, earning its first title
since 1988. Kobe went down in a heap early in Game 2 after rolling an
ankle. He sat out the next contest, which the Lakers lost.

Kobe returned in Game
4, limping through the entire first half. With the Lakers trailing in
the third quarter, he got a burst of adrenaline and exploded for 10 points.
He then finished off the Pacers after Shaq fouled out late in the fourth
quarter. Jackson told his troops to abandon the triangle and get the ball
to Kobe. He responded with a virtuoso performance to give the Lakers an
insurmountable 3-1 series lead.

Tired and battered
after the longest season of his young life, Kobe took it easy during the
summer of 2000. After declining a last-minute offer to join Team USA at
the Olympics in Sydney, he regained his health and felt refreshed by the
start of the following campaign.

Coach Jackson’s
roster was infused with new energy, too. To better handle the Western
Conference’s high-scoring forwards, Los Angeles acquired Horace
Grant and Greg Foster in a three-way trade with the New York Knicks and
Seattle Supersonics.

Unlike the previous
year, however, the Lakers stumbled from the starting gate. By the All-Star
break, they had already lost more games than they had in the entire 1999-00
campaign. Injuries had a lot to do with the club’s inconsistent
play, as Kobe, Shaq, and Fisher all missed time. But when Los Angeles
returned to full health, the team rediscovered its rhythm. Sparked by
an eight-game winning streak down the stretch, the Lakers edged the Kings
for first in the Pacific Division.

Kobe was key to the
club’s resurgence. Playing 40 minutes a night, he averaged 28.5
points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 68 games. Among the single-game
career-highs he established during the season were points (52), steals
(six), and blocked shots (five). Kobe also posted the first two triple-doubles
of his career.

Phil Jackson, 1999 Sports Ilustrated

Kobe
raised his performance even higher in the playoffs. With the Lakers sweeping
by Portland, Sacramento and San Antonio in succession, he was scintillating.
Kobe tallied 48 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in Game 4 against the Kings
to close out the series. In the Western Conference Finals against the
Spurs, he shot a sizzling .514 (54-105) from the field.

Facing the 76ers in
the NBA Finals, the defending champs opened at home with a surprising
107-101 overtime loss. It was all Lakers after that, however, as Los Angles
roared to victories in the next four. Kobe was high scorer for LA in Games
2 and 3. At just 22 years old, he had his second NBA championship.

With whispers of a
dynasty growing louder, Kobe approached the off-season with his typical
vigor. He continued working on his perimeter game, taking as many as 1,000
jumpers a day. The Lakers, meanwhile, fine-tuned their roster in preparation
for another title run. Grant left via free agency and was replaced by
Samaki Walker, Harper retired. and Foster was dealt to Milwaukee for guard
Lindsey Hunter.

Despite an injury
to Fisher, the Lakers opened 2001-02 with victories in 16 of their first
17 games. Kobe was the catalyst. When O’Neal landed on the injured
list for a couple of weeks with a bad foot, he carried the team. Kobe
was good for 25 a night, made key defensive stops, and by season’s
end was the team’s best playmaker. He also made his fourth All-Star
appearance and was voted the game’s MVP after tallying 31 points,
five rebounds and five assists. The game was held in Philadelphia and
Kobe heard a lot of boos from his hometown fans. He was taken aback until
he realized he was hearing it for beating the Sixers the previous spring.

The Lakers cruised
in the second half and finished at 58-24. Their road to a third title
would take them through Sacramento, where their Western Conference Finals
opponents had put together a dynamite team. Mike Bibby, Chris Webber and
Vlade Divac tortured the Lakers, while Shaq and Kobe counterpunched and
forward Robert Horry killed the Kings with buzzer-beating dramatics. The
series went the full seven, with the Lakers prevailing in overtime in
the clincher, 112-106.

As expected, LA trampled
the Nets in the championship series. New Jersey just didn’t have
an answer for O’Neal. The four-game sweep landed Shaq his third
straight playoff MVP award and Jackson his ninth career championship.
The Nets were in Kobe’s kitchen throughout the series, but he still
logged over 40 minutes a game and hit one crippling shot after another
to stall New Jersey’s frequent comeback attempts.

A three-peat was something
special, but a four-peat was not in the stars. With Shaq sidelined to
start the 2002-03 season, the load was put on Kobe’s shoulders to
keep the Lakers close to the Kings until the big guy returned. Initially,
he thrived under the increased pressure. While his shot selection raised
some eyebrows, he was scoring, rebounding, and passing at career-high
levels. Still, the Lakers were losing games they had won in previous seasons,
and Kobe began hearing it from his critics.

Even when O'Neal came
back in November, Los Angeles struggled to regain its championship form.
Reports hinted at unrest in the locker room. The supporting cast, supposedly
upset at suggestions that they weren't carrying their weight, challenged
Kobe and Shaq to act more like leaders. The club played lethargically
through December, including an embarrassing 27-point loss at New Jersey
in a rematch of the 2002 NBA Finals. The next game, Kobe scored 44 points
against the Sixers. Though the Lakers fell in OT, they showed signs of
awakening from their doldrums.

Indeed, Los Angeles
soon began a steady ascent through the Pacific standings. Kobe was the
main man. In January he launched a scoring streak of at least 40 points
in nine straight games, including 52 in an overtime victory against the
Rockets. The Lakers won eight times during Kobe's sensational stretch.

By March, Los Angeles
had established a firm hold on a playoff spot. Ending the year at 50-32,
the Lakers loomed as a serious threat in the West—though there were
major questions about the club's depth. Shaq looked healthy and motivated,
as did Kobe, but they had expended a lot of energy during their upsurge
through the standings. Kobe, who finished second to Tracy McGrady in the
scoring race at 30 ppg, had logged more than 40 minutes in a night, often
taking a pounding when he was on the floor.

The Lakers faced
Minnesota in the first round and dropped two of the first three in the
series. After back-to-back poor shooting performances, Kobe asserted himself
over the next three games. Averaging 31 points and six assists, he led
Los Angeles past the Timberwolves to set up a tough match-up against San
Antonio.

The strain of the
Minnesota series on the Lakers was evident early against the Spurs. When
San Antonio took the first two games on their home floor, the pundits
were ready to write the defending champs' obituary. But Kobe and his teammates
came back to life at the Staples Center. He hit for 39 and 35, and the
Lakers knotted the series.

In San Antonio for
Game 5, Los Angeles fell behind by 20 points, then launched a furious
rally in the fourth quarter. But when a late three-pointer by Horry didn't
go down, the Lakers lost a 96-94 heartbreaker—not to mention their
legs. The tank finally ran dry in the second half of Game 6, as the Spurs
cruised in a 28-point blowout. Like the rest of the team, Kobe watched
the carnage in a daze.

Kobe Bryant, 2001 SI for Kids

In
the summer of 2003, after six years of meticulously cultivating a spotless
image and building a seemingly indestructible empire of endorsements and
outside business interests, Kobe was accused of sexual assault by a 19-year-old
girl in Colorado. The alleged attack occurred while Kobe was at a resort
near Vail, where he was waiting to have surgery performed on his right
knee. Kobe acknowledged that the two engaged in sex, but contended it
was consentual. It was a humiliating and very public downfall. And though
the case crumbled before going to trial (and was settled out of court),
Kobe and his marketing appeal took a death blow. The episode stretched
his marriage to the breaking point.

Despite the ongoing
distraction of Kobe’s case, there was basketball to be played. The
Lakers went into 2003-04 loaded for bear. Along with Kobe and Shaq, the
team also featured future Hall of Famers Gary Payton and Karl Malone.
LA started fast, winning 20 of their first 25 games. The Mailman missed
some time with a knee injury, but the team soldiered on, finishing strong
with 14 victories in their final 17 games. They edged the Kings for the
Pacific Division title, with their single-game margin coming courtesy
of Kobe. He tied the clinching game against the Blazers at the buzzer,
and then won it with another buzzer-beater in double overtime. He averaged
24.0 points per game on the season.

The Lakers beat the
Rockets in the first round of the playoffs in five games, and next defeated
the Spurs and Timberwolves to take the Western crown. Malone showed he
still had gas in the tank with a great defensive job on Kevin Garnett.
In the NBA Finals, the Lakers were favored against the scrappy Detroit
Pistons. Payton and Malone were cast as the sentimental favorites to capture
their long-awaited championship rings.

Detroit coach Larry
Brown had other ideas. He devised a defensive scheme that stalled the
Lakers and also coaxed clutch scoring performances from Chauncey Billups
and Richard Hamilton. After the Lakers dropped Game 1 at home, Kobe rallied
the team to an overtime victory in Game 2, hitting a three-pointer to
tie the game in regulation. The Pistons responded by stepping up their
D, regularly sandwiching O’Neal between Rasheed Wallace and Ben
Wallace. They took the next three games for the championship.

With two frustrating
misses after three straight championships, Kobe felt stifled as third
banana to Jackson and O’Neal. He did not have to wait long, however,
to make the Lakers “his” team. Jackson resigned as coach after
the seson and O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat for Lamar Odom,
Caron Butler and Brian Grant. With Chucky Atkins at the point and Chris
Mihm stepping into the pivot, Kobe was suddenly the only holdover from
the starting five that had made it to the 2004 NBA Finals.

It showed throughout
the 2004-05 campaign. The Lakers still won the close games, but they weren't
much better than a .500 club. Kobe spent a month on the sidelines with
a sprained ankle, and later Odom went down for the season with a shoulder
injury. The Lakers went into a tailspin down the stretch and Kobe was
helpless to stop the losing. He finished second in the NBA with a 27.6
average, but it mattered little once LA was eliminated from the playoffs.

Kobe Bryant, 2003 Sports Ilustrated

The highlight of '04-05
was probably the first meeting between the Lakers and Heat, on Christmas
Day. Kobe hit for 42 and helped LA build a seven-point lead in the fourth
quarter. But Miami stormed back to tie the game and then won in overtime.
It was one of 48 losses the Lakers suffered on the way to a mind-blowing
last-place finish in the Pacific Division.

The Lakers had nowhere to go but up in 2005-06. Their
chances were improved by the return of Jackson, who envisioned Kobe and
Odom as his new Michael Jordan-Scottie Pippen combo.

Alas, the LA rotation was not particularly deep. After
Kobe and Odom, it included Mihm, Smush Parker, Brian Cook and Kwame Brown.
Not exactly the team's All-Star lineup of old.

Learning when to carry the Lakers—and more to the
point, when not to—Kobe finished the year as the NBA’s scoring
champ, averaging 35.4 points per game. His biggest night came against
the Toronto Raptors when he netted 81 points, a performance that ranked
among the most impressive in history. Because the game was close, every
point Kobe put on the board was crucial, and he worked overtime on the
defensive end as well. Only Wilt Chamberlain—whose teammates fed
him repeatedly in a 1962 blowout against the Knicks—had ever scored
more in an NBA game.

Jackson, meanwhile, did a masterful job spotting his
players throughout '05-06. Getting the best out of Odom, Brown and Parker,
he guided the Lakers to a 45-37 record. In the playoffs, the team built
a 3-1 lead over the Suns, but let it slip away. While Kobe scored 50 in
one game, Phoenix was able to neutralize him with its quickness and eventually
took the series in seven.

LA assembled an interesting supporting cast for Kobe
in 2006-07, but injuries kept the team from flourishing. Still, with Kobe
leading the club in points and assists, and Odom chipping in around 10
boards a night, the Lakers were winning consistently enough to stay near
the top of the Pacific Division. The team was within striking range of
the first-place Suns until it hit a February losing skid. A rumored deadline
deal for Jason Kidd fell through when the Lakers refused to part with
teenage center Andrew Bynum.

Kobe put his stamp on the season during the All-Star Game
in February. Going head-to-head with LeBron James on several first-half
possessions, he looked intense from the opening tip-off and finished with
31 points, six assists, six steals and five rebounds. The West won 153-132
and Kobe was named MVP.

The rest of the year did not go as well, at least for the Lakers. The team finished 42–40, the worst record of Jackson’s coaching career. They did make the playoffs, but were eliminated again by the Suns in the first round.

Kobe, however, led the NBA in scoring again with 31.6 points per game. He did this on the strength of a monstrous March surge. With the Lakers mired in a long losing streak, Kobe exploded for 65 points against Portland. The T-Wolves came to town, and he dropped 50 on them. The Lakers next took the court in Memphis, where Kobe totaled 60 points on the Grizzlies’ defense. Incredibly, he netted 50 against the Hornets the next day.

Kobe had nothing left to prove except that he could take a team to the NBA Finals without Shaq. After off-season rumblings from Kobe that he wanted to be traded, the Lakers vowed to build a decent team around him in 2007–08. Los Angeles made good on itss prommise when it dealt for Pau Gasol to join Bynum and Odom in the frontcourt. The feel around the locker room was different going all the way back to training camp. This was a different Lakers teams. Slowly, quietly, Los Angeles knit into a winning unit.

Kobe Bryant, 2006 Total

Unfortunately, prospects for a championship run dimmed somewhat after Kobe blew out the little finger on his shooting hand in a February game. He decided to put off the delicate surgery and deal with the pain.

Kobe played in all 82 games nonetheless and scored 28 a night He . Although his numbers across the board were far from his best, he had fully matured into a veteran leader on the floor. The Lakers finished with 57 victories and the Pacific Division title. Kobe was an easy choice for MVP. Had an average player been in his situation, the team’s 57–25 record could easily have been reversed.

Kobe continued his MVP performance in the playoffs, as the Lakers swept the Nuggets. Kobe scored 49 points in Game 2. He closed out Denver with 14 points in the final five minutes of a 107–101 victory in Game 4.

Next up were the Jazz. The Lakers took the first two games in Los Angeles, and the Jazz evened the series in Utah. Gasol and Odom came up big in Game 5 to give the Lakers a series edge. The Lakers thenfinished off the Jazz in Game 6, winning by two but having led virtually the entire way. Kobe scored 34 in the victory.

Most experts figured the Spurs would give the Lakers problems, and they did—for about 24 minutes. San Antonio opened up a 20-poin t lead in the first half of Game 1, but Kobe scored 25 in the second half of a stirring 89–85 victory. The teams split the next two games before Los Angeles took control with a narrow win at home. Kobe missed an ill-advised shot that gave the Spurs a chance to win at the buzzer, but the Lakers survived. They won the series two days later, as Kobe netted 17 points in the final quarter of Game 5.

Kobe had proven he could lead a team to the NBA Finals by himself. The final hurdle was the Boston Celtics, a team built to derail a club like the Lakers. Veteran superstars Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen simply proved too much for Los Angeles.

The Celtics won the first two games in Boston and split the next two in California. Kobe scored 36 in a Game 3 win, his best output for the series. He had a poor shooting night in Game 5, but made a nice defensive play to save a victory and narrow Boston’s series lead to 3–2. This just delayed the inevitable as the Celtics humiliated Kobe and his teammates in Game 6, 131–92.

That painful loss became a distant memory for Kobe during the 2008 Summer Games in China. Kobe headlined the newest version of the Dream Team, happily sharing time with LeBron and Dwyane Wade. The Americans rolled through the tournament, blowing out opponents on the strength of tough defense and an unstoppable fast break.

Kobe played well throughout the Olympics, but he put his stamp on Team USA with a scintillating performance down the stretch of the gold medal game against Spain. After the Spainards cut America's lead to 91-89, coach Mike Krzyzewski called a timeout to settle his squad. Kobe responded with a short jumper, assisted on a 3-pointer by Deron Williams, and then set up Wade for a monster jam. Kobe scored 13 in the fourth quarter, as the U.S. captured its first gold since 2002 with a 118-107 victory. Kobe—nicknamed "Flying Little Warrior" by adoring Chinese fans—lived up to the billing.

Kobe Bryant,
2008 The Sporting News

The Lakers were ready to reclaim the NBA title in 2008–09. It had been seven seasons since their last championship. Their bench was strong and their starting lineup healthy. Kobe’s finger was completely healed, and he did not miss a game. He was named Western Conference Player of the Month for December and January as the Lakers racked up victory after victory. In one of the season's stranger plays, Kobe collided with teammate Andrew Bynum, wrecking Bynum’s knee. Jackson simply shifted his players around and the team barely missed a beat. The Lakers finished with 65 wins, the third-best record in team history.

Kobe led the Lakers in scoring (26.8) and assists (4.9). Among his season highlights were a pair of triple-doubles—his first since 2005—and a 61-point outburst against the Knicks in New York. He was also named All-Star co-MVP with Shaquille O’Neal. At season’s end, LeBron James edged him for NBA MVP. He was named to the All-Defensive First Team for the third season in a row and sixth time in his career.

The Lakers began their second season with a five-game win over their familiar foes, the Utah Jazz. Kobe was LA’s top scorer in all four of their victories. Next up were the Rockets, a more formidable opponent with a healthy Yao Ming, confident Aaron Brooks and feisty Ron Artest. Houston stunned the Lakers on their homecourt in the opener, but the Lakers fought back to gain a 3 games to 2 edge. Houston forced a Game 7 when they won on their homecourt, but the Laker defense smothered Ming & Co. in the finale 89–70. After the tougher-than-expected series, Kobe summed up his team’s wildly uneven play as being “bipolar.” The star of the series for LA was Gasol, who did an excellent job shutting down the middle to Brooks and the other Houston penetrators.

Up next were the Denver Nuggets. Game 1 seesawed back and forth until Kobe took over in the fourth quarter. He canned six free throws in the final 30 seconds to finish with an even 40 points in LA’s 105–103 victory.

Kobe’s fourth championship was made even sweeter when he was named series MVP for the first time. The Nuggets took Game 2, another taut affair, 106–103. Kobe was the difference again in Game 3, nailing a clutch three-pointer with the Lakers down 95–94. They never trailed again, pulling away to a 103–97 win as Kobe sealed the deal at the charity stripe. Denver evened the series but the Lakers took the final two games to earn a berth in the NBA Finals. Kobe led the team in points and assists in both contests.

The last team standing between Kobe and his first “solo” title were the Orlando Magic. The series lasted only five games, but two of the Laker wins could have swung either way. Game 2, following an LA win in the opener, was tied 88–88 after four quarters—and only because the Magic blew a tailor-made alley-oop at the buzzer. Gasol scored seven points in OT to led his team to a 101–96 victory. Kobe finished with 29.

The Magic took Game 3 and then nearly tied the series a couple of nights later. Again, the Lakers dodged a bullet at the end of regulation, as Derek Fisher hit a clutch trey to send the teams into overtime. Fisher nailed another three-pointer to give the Lakers a 99–91 win. Dwight Howard dominated much of the game, but could not make his free throws, and ultimately this was the difference. Kobe was good for 32 points and 8 assists.

In Game 5, Kobe played like a cold-blooded assassin. He was totally locked in as LA seized control of the game and won 99–86. He finished with 30 points, and celebrated like a kid when the final buzzer sounded. Kobe was an easy pick for MVP of the Finals.

Rather than resting on his laurels, Kobe came into the 2009–10 campaign focused on repeating. Even a December fracture of his right index finger didn’t slow him down. He elected to play through the pain and was named the conference’s Player of the Month that very same month. A sore back and knee eventually prevented him from playing nine games, but LA barely missed a beat. Among the key additions to the club was Ron Artest, who would no longer be giving Kobe fits on defense.

Kobe Bryant, 2009 Sports Illustrated

As the Lakers rolled toward their date with destiny, Kobe took his game to a new level. He became the league’s finest shot-maker, hitting clutch baskets off-balance, in traffic, and with defenders hanging all over him. Even his critics had to admit that he was now every bit as good as Michael Jordan at hitting the tough buckets. Among his six game-winners in 2009–10 was an unforgettable shot to cap a comeback against the Celtics on their home court. Although Boston was slowed by age and injuries, many traditionalists wanted another Celtics–Lakers Final, LeBron be damned. They would get their wish.

Kobe finished the regular season by upping his scoring, rebounding and assists from the year before. His 27.0 points per game was fourth in the league—3.1 behind the NBA’s precocious scoring leader, Kevin Durant. Once again, he was voted to the All-NBA First team and the All-Defensive First Team.

The Lakers started their playoff odyssey with a six-game victory over the upstart Oklahoma City Thunder. Game 6 went down to the wire. Kobe had a huge night, with 32 points, but it was Gasol put-back of his fourth quarter miss that gave the Lakers a 95–94 victory.

The Lakers had an easier time dealing with the Jazz, sweeping the series. The signature play came in Game 3. With Utah up 110–108 and under a minute left, Kobe executed a textbook pick and roll with Gasol. When the defense collapsed around him, he found a wide-open Fisher for the winning three.

Kobe was sensational in the conference finals against the Phoenix Suns. He hit one outrageous shot after another. The two teams split the first four games, before the Lakers scored a 103–101 win in Phoenix. Kobe, who missed a triple-double by one assist, tried to break a 101–101 tie with a fadeaway three-pointer from the corner, but his shot was short. Artest outmuscled the Suns for the ball and scored the winning layup. He and Kobe hugged when the final buzzer sounded.

Steve Nash guaranteed a Suns win in Game 6 but Kobe and Artest would have something to say about that. Phoenix dared Artest to shoot and he did—nailing 10 of 16 shots, including four three-pointers. The Lakers held off a furious comeback thanks to Kobe, who was money in the second half and scored nine in the final two minutes—including a double-pump 20-footer with Jared Dudley hanging all over him. After this shot, even Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry had to smile. “You’re killing me,” he told Kobe as Kobe smiled and patted gentry on the rear end. The final score was 111–103, as Kobe registered 37 points.

The final obstacle to a repeat were indeed the Celtics, who beat the odds in overcoming the Cavs and Magic to reach the NBA Finals. Heading into the series, Kobe was more focused than ever. The point is to win a championship, he would tell his teammates. Boston proved to be a formidable opponent. After five games, the Lakers found themselves one loss away from elimination. Kobe had led the team in scoring in their two victories, but the Celtics had covered him close and he had to earn every point.

The final two games in LA, were defensive battles. The Lakers beat the Celtics handily in Game 6 to knot the series. Kobe led all players with 26 points. Game 7 was a different matter. Kobe was ice cold most of the game, often finding himself double-teamed. He responded by hitting the glass with fierce determination. Kobe pulled down 15 rebounds.

After falling behind by 13 points in the third quarter, the Lakers outhustled and outmuscled the aging Celtics, taking trip after trip to the free throw line until they were able to open a slight lead. Key shots by Gasol and Ron Artest gave LA some breathing room, and Kobe put the game out of reach with under a minute left. Spotting Gasol in a mismatch with Rajon Rondo, he heaved up a long shot, which Gasol easily rebounded and passed back to him as he cut to the basket. He was fouled and made both shots. The final score was 83–79.

In Kobe, the Lakers have a championship-caliber player with an impressive résumé and proven track record. Having led LAto two championships without another superstar at his side, he did what many considered un-doable. Can Kobe and the Lakers keep adding to their trophy case? As always, this is likely to be the biggest story in basketball.

Kobe Bryant, 2009 Topps

KOBE
THE PLAYER

When Kobe joined the Lakers as a rookie, he asked the coaching staff for tapes of all the league’s two-guards and went to school on their strengths and weaknesses. He studied all-time greats like Pete Maravich and personally sought out the top active players to solicit advice on how to hone his skills.

Now his education is complete—there are no major weaknesses in his game. When he wants to score, he simply does. One-on-one, no one in the NBA can handle Kobe with any consistency. He explodes on his first step to the hoop, and his crossover dribble leaves most defenders flat-footed. He has extended his jump-shooting range past the three-point arc and is absolutely fearless in clutch situations. Kobe’s strength and body control are exceptional. What would count as awkward, off-balance heaves by other players are well within his repertoire.

Kobe’s skill as a playmaker has been revealed since Phil Jackson's return to the LA bench. In his Triangle Offense, Kobe passes as often as he shoots. On many nights he is not only the team's top scorer, but their number-one assist man, too.

On defense, Kobe is better than most of the NBA’s marquee players. When challenged, he can dig down and come up with key stops. At crunch time, opponents usually stay away from him.

As for Kobe’s leadership skills, they were put to the test after Shaquille O’Neal’s departure. The jury was out in terms of results until 2009, when he learned how to trust his teammates and elevate the game of those around him.